Thomson Township back in compliance with WLSSD

Talk about it

The WLSSD board tonight is expected to approve a revised plan submitted by Thomson Township to fix its leaking sewer collection system that contributes to the rainwater overload and sewage spills in the WLSSD system downstream in Duluth.

Thomson Township has made good with the Western Lake Superior Sanitary District in the effort to reduce the amount of rainwater seeping into the sanitary sewage system.

The WLSSD board tonight is expected to approve a revised plan submitted by Thomson Township to fix its leaking sewer collection system that contributes to the rainwater overload and sewage spills in the WLSSD system downstream in Duluth.

The vote will end a prohibition on any new sewer additions or connections within the township, a penalty that acted as a de facto restriction on development.

In May, WLSSD found the Carlton County township in noncompliance of its inflow and infiltration ordinance and imposed a ban on any new sewer hookups.

Thomson, which includes Esko and neighboring rural areas between Proctor and Carlton, was the only local government within the WLSSD service area to be in violation.

But since May, township officials have hired a private consultant to develop a formal infiltration plan, smoke-tested their sewage collection system to find leaks, inspected the system, mapped sewer lines and increased sewer rates $10 per month to pay for the fix. The township also notified 38 property owners with serious problems that the need to fix they leaks or pay an extra $100 per month starting in October.

“They have really stepped it up. They have a plan and they are working their plan and that is essentially what the ordinance requires,” said Marianne Bohren, WLSSD executive director.

Bohren said the WLSSD board is expected to approve a resolution tonight that will allow provisional sewer extensions and hookups until the township’s 2010 infiltration plan is due in February.

“It will be a provisional approval. And if they keep making progress it will become permanent next year, as long as they are in compliance,” she said.

Dave Sunnarborg, a town board supervisor, said town officials have worked as fast as possible since May to get a workable plan to WLSSD. He said testing revealed the usual cracks and leaks in the sewage system that need to be fixed.

“We think it’s a pretty good plan now. We have a lot of little cracks and leaks in the system, but they all add up to be a problem,” he said.

Under a WLSSD ordinance passed in 2008, the district requires all 17 municipalities within its service area, including Duluth, to report how much water is being sent to the treatment plant and what progress is made to keep clean rainwater out of the system. Rainwater gushing into the system is blamed for historic overflows, and WLSSD and Duluth are under a federal order to stop those overflows.

Of the 17 local government reports for 2008, six were sent back by WLSSD for more work. Of those, five were resubmitted and approved. If the township hadn’t reached an amicable resolution with WLSSD, the district has the authority to levy a $500 daily fine for every day the township is in violation.

Tags: wlssd, esko